Intermission, Second Part
by DoctorH
Summary: This story is a follow-up to my earlier story, "Intermission." While Discovery has its troubles, a story breaks exposing the secret alien artifact found on the Moon. Heywood Floyd catches hell for being the person most responsible for secrecy, but at the same time, Floyd realizes a there is a problem with Discovery that others don't see.
1. Mr Andrews Calls

INTERMISSION, SECOND PART

Introduction.

This is a story based upon my earlier story, "Intermission," in which some events are referred to only briefly or tangentially. In this story, they are discussed in more detail or from a different perspective.

I recommend reading "Intermission" before reading this story. In "Intermission" and in "Intermission, Second Part," my stories end with many important events yet to come. If you want to see those important events, watch the movie.

The events in my stories begin just after the intermission of the movie (as Frank Poole is heading out toward the antenna complex in a space pod). They end as Bowman visits Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite.

This story is drawn to some extent from the movie, but also includes some elements from the novel (including at least one key plot point).

The main character is Dr. Heywood Floyd. In the movie, following intermission, Dr. Floyd appears in only one scene, and even then, only as a pre-recorded message. The final words in the movie are his. In the novel, Floyd sends a message to Bowman, but the message is quite unlike what is described in my story.

In my earlier story, "Intermission," there is a suggestion that Floyd is in trouble. This story deals with Floyd during this difficult time.

For some details, this story follows the movie rather than the novel. In the novel, for example, Floyd is a widower with three kids; but in the movie, he is married and has a small daughter. In the novel, leaks of confidential information begin right after TMA-1 is found; but in the movie, the leaks are contained and it is up to Floyd to clamp down the lid _hard_ so that no leaks will occur.

For the record, the Heywood Floyd in this story is the straitlaced William Sylvester version, not the wiseguy Roy Scheider version from "2010." Sylvester took some criticism for playing the role of Floyd as dishwater dull, showing no emotion except for a few forced smiles and chuckles. Yet his portrayal was actually pretty good as a cool-headed and businesslike astronomer-turned-spacefarer-turned-administrator, which is what Floyd was.

Further, Sylvester's performance in the movie's videophone scene was extraordinary, in view of the fact that _there was no actual conversation going on_. Vivian Kubrick's performance as the little girl "Squirt" was pre-recorded, and Sylvester pretended to react to her, thereby giving a quite convincing portrayal of an actual video call.

Also, the William Sylvester version of Floyd embraced his responsibility for emphasizing the importance of secrecy, and _secrecy was central to his character_ at every stage; the Roy Scheider version was adamantly critical of hiding information, and denied having anything to do with the consequences of secrecy orders.

* * *

1\. Mr. Andrews Calls.

Heywood Floyd took a sip from his coffee mug, and made a face. _Only warm_ , he brooded. _Not hot._ The coffee machine had been acting up, and it was time to authorize a replacement. Floyd took another sip and decided to dump the rest of the contents of his mug into the cafeteria sink. Floyd checked the dishwasher next to the sink, and finding it empty, placed his now-empty mug inside.

"Dr. Floyd!"

Floyd turned toward the urgent voice calling his name. The voice was that of his administrative assistant, and the alarm in his voice was unmistakable.

"What is it, Jan?" Floyd kept his voice even.

"There's a BBC reporter calling for you, he says it's _very_ urgent!"

Floyd strode quickly out of the cafeteria toward his office, with his assistant falling in beside him. "Did the reporter tell you what this is about?"

"He said it had to do with _Discovery_ , and that it was of the greatest importance! 'Absolutely urgent,' he said!"

Floyd reached his office. "Okay, Jan, I want you to go fetch Dave Berger at PR, right away. And ask Marlene and Rachel to come to my office, too. What line is the reporter on?"

"Line three."

"Oh, and Jan, what's the reporter's name?"

"He told me, Dr. Floyd, but I'm sorry, I don't remember."

"That's all right, just go get Rachel and Marlene and Dave. Tell Dave I need _him_ on the double." As the assistant hustled off, Floyd sat behind his desk and moved his phone close. He lifted the receiver and pressed the flashing button for line number three. "Heywood Floyd."

"Good afternoon, or I should say, good _morning_ to you, Dr. Floyd. My name is Harrison Andrews of the British Broadcasting Corporation, News Division. I am calling you from London."

The man had an accent that reminded Floyd of comic actor John Cleese, and it occurred to Floyd that perhaps the man on the other end of the line _was_ John Cleese, or perhaps a comic actor of a different kind, possibly a poser seeking to have a little fun with the Chairman of the National Council of Astronautics. Some impostors had tried to interview Floyd on previous occasions. It was also possible, Floyd knew, that the caller might really be from the BBC. Though legitimate news organizations had all been made aware that requests for interviews or comment ought to go through Berger in the Public Relations department, some go-getters had tried to bypass the PR people and get a statement from Floyd directly. Floyd hoped Berger would arrive quickly; Berger knew all of the reporters, and might be able to verify the caller's identity, and might be able to say whether the call was legitimate or a hoax. Until then, Floyd decided to play it cool.

"Yes, Mr. Andrews, what can I do for you?"

"Dr. Floyd, we at the BBC are planning to broadcast a story by television shortly, concerning the _Discovery_ spacecraft and related subjects. I wanted to give you the opportunity to comment on the story before it is broadcast."

Floyd heard a quiet knock on his office door, and he waved in Marlene Vasquez and Rachel Steeg. He gestured to them to sit down. He decided to ask a question to bring them up to speed.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Andrews, did you say the BBC _had_ aired this story about _Discovery_ , or that the BBC was _planning_ to air it?"

"The BBC are _planning_ to broadcast the story, about six hours from now. I can assure you, Dr. Floyd, that if you choose to comment on the story, that the BBC will report your comments fairly. We are most interested in hearing what the Council of Astronautics has to say."

"Mr. Andrews, you say that you want a statement from me about a pending story. Ordinarily, you should go through our public relations department. David Berger should be able to help you." At that moment, Berger appeared at Floyd's office door. Floyd waved him to close the office door, and seat himself in a chair. "In fact, Mr. Andrews, David Berger just stopped by my office. Perhaps you could speak to him now. Would it be all right, sir, if I placed you on speakerphone? In the office with me are Mr. Berger, and two of my department heads, Dr. Marlene Vasquez and Dr. Rachel Steeg. Dr. Vasquez is head of administration, and Dr. Steeg is principal mission liaison. Would it be all right with you if I put you on speaker?"

"It would, yes."

Floyd pressed a button on his telephone to activate the speakerphone, then introduced the man on the other end. "Everyone, this is Mr. Harrison Andrews of the BBC News Division."

"Good day to all of you," Andrews said. "David, I am told you are present; can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can, Harrison," Berger replied. "I recognize your voice. I should explain for the benefit of my colleagues that you and I have conversed in the past and that you have previously presented me with your credentials. May I ask why you chose on this occasion to try to contact Dr. Floyd directly, rather than through my office? You know that is a breach of our understanding."

"My apologies, David. The answer is that it is a matter of timing. Our story is such that we cannot wait for it to go 'through the usual channels,' as it were. We believe the story is of the greatest importance. And we believe that commentary from Dr. Floyd, personally and not by way of a spokesperson, is warranted."

"If the story pertains to the communication difficulties being experienced by _Discovery_ ," Floyd broke in, "then you really don't need to speak to me. Those are issues that are being handled quite capably by Dave and his people."

"I quite agree, Dr. Floyd. The communication concerns are indeed a part of the story, but they are not the main part. They are not the lede."

 _The BBC is going to report a story about_ Discovery _, but about something of greater import than the vessel's communications problems?_ Floyd glanced at the faces of Vasquez and Steeg. Their expressions told him that they has no idea what was about to come.

Floyd grit his teeth. "What is the BBC's story, Mr. Andrews?"

"Dr. Floyd, the BBC have received reports that we believe to be credible, to the following events: in 1999, the United States discovered an artifact on the Moon. This artifact was, without question, of alien origin, indicating that intelligent life from other worlds had in the past visited the Moon, and very likely had also visited the Earth as well."

Andrews paused.

Floyd spoke. "Stories like that have been floating around for quite a while, now, Mr. Andrews."

"I realize that. But, as I say, this information comes to us from _credible_ sources. In the past, your council has responded to such reports with the most cursory dismissals, and in recent days, has ignored such reports entirely; which responses were quite understandable given that sources were, if I may be forgiven for saying so, loonies. I can tell you, Dr. Floyd, that the BBC have investigated the matter quite thoroughly. We most certainly do not rely upon the words of loonies. We have quite solid evidence that corroborates what I have said about an alien artifact."

"Would you care to share that 'quite solid evidence' with us, Harrison?" Berger urged.

"I'm afraid that I am not in a position to do so at this time. But I can say that the evidence is compelling and that it has been independently confirmed by multiple sources. We know, for example, that the artifact was found buried on the Moon in or near the crater Tycho. Further, shortly after it was uncovered, the artifact emitted a very powerful radio transmission in the direction of Jupiter, which of course is _Discovery_ 's destination. Still further, the mission of _Discovery_ had previously been to explore the Jovian system, but after the artifact was found, _Discovery_ 's mission was altered to include an important new objective, namely, to determine to what or to whom the transmission was directed."

"Is that all?" Floyd asked calmly.

"No. There is much more. But I would at this time like to ask you, Dr. Floyd, on the record, whether you confirm or deny the discovery of an alien artifact on the Moon?"

No one said anything for several seconds.

Floyd sighed. "Mr. Andrews, I wish to explain something before I answer. My people and I are bound by various confidentiality laws, regulations, and agreements. We cannot respond to such questions, even if we wanted to. Therefore—"

"If you'll pardon me for saying so, that's nonsense," Andrews interrupted sharply. "You _have_ denied similar reports in the past without resort to issues of confidentiality. I want to know, Dr. Floyd, whether you continue to maintain your denials, now that you are dealing with a reputable news organization."

"This situation is different," Floyd responded. "If I understand you correctly, you deem some of your sources to be credible, and it is possible you deem them so because those sources may be one or more persons who are involved with the mission and who have access to confidential information; and if that is so, then issues of confidentiality most certainly _are_ involved. Until I can get an opinion from our legal people as to our confidentiality obligations, I really have no choice but to say that I can neither confirm nor deny your story. But I can tell you this, Mr. Andrews. We will be looking at whether we wish to make a formal response, and what that response ought to be. May we contact you in the event that we wish to speak to you at a later time?"

"You may. David knows how to contact me. Just as a polite reminder, the story will be broadcast at 2:00 p.m. your time. The BBC are currently airing promotional advertisements saying that there will be a report having significant and surprising information related to _Discovery_ 's mission to Jupiter. We expect viewership to be quite substantial."


	2. Conference

2\. Conference.

Floyd stood at the front of the conference room. He had just conveyed what he'd heard from Andrews to nearly everyone of significance in the mission, who were present either in person or by telephone; with the notable exceptions of the astronauts aboard _Discovery_. The time delay made communication with Astronauts Bowman and Poole impractical.

"There you have it," Floyd intoned. "The secret is about to get out. Questions? Comments? Suggestions?"

Vasquez spoke first, and she spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "Someone in this organization has broken confidentiality rules," she began. "We suspected there might be a leak when the story broke about the seriousness of _Discovery_ 's communication troubles. I think we now know that someone in our organization has talked, when he or she should not have done so."

"That may be true," Floyd agreed, "but finding the leak and taking remedial action are not our priorities right now. Our main concern is the report that is about to be broadcast by the BBC in a matter of hours, and whether we want to comment on it before it airs."

"I agree, Heywood," Vasquez replied. "My point is _not_ that we ought to drop everything and hunt down the leaker. My point is that we don't want to take a problem with our confidentiality procedures and make that problem _worse_."

Steeg spoke up. "I don't see how we _can_ comment on the story. All we've heard is a terse summary of the story's lede. We don't know what details or evidence the BBC has. For all we know, their evidence is nothing more than a clever hoax, and they might have nearly every fact wrong. Or they may have some things right and a lot of things wrong. I wouldn't want to be in a position where we confirmed 'facts' that turned out to be wrong."

"Liz," Floyd turned to Assistant General Counsel Elizabeth Groh, "from a legal standpoint, _can_ we say anything?"

Groh cleared her throat. "I'd say no. Even if or when the secret gets out, we are all still bound by our oaths and agreements not to discuss anything with the public. Moreover, only the communications and public relations group speaks for us; none of us speaks for the Council or for any department or for the mission. That said, our original confidentiality restrictions recognized the possibility that secrecy might not be maintained forever, and that if secrecy is lost, it may be necessary for the head of the Council to make a formal statement. What that means is that you, Dr. Floyd, have the authority to comment as you deem necessary and appropriate, but I'd advise that we wait and see what the BBC reports before you say anything on the record. Then you may comment, if you choose; but the rest of us have to keep our mouths shut, at least for the foreseeable future."

Mark Pierre, from one of the scientific research divisions, spoke next. "Heywood, if the BBC reporting is mostly accurate, I think you'd _have to_ issue a statement of some kind. You cannot simply continue to deny things that we know will eventually come to light anyway. You don't want to go down in history as a liar or a cover-upper."

Floyd smiled. "No, Mark, I certainly don't. But I will have to justify why I maintained secrecy for so long. Not too long ago, some members of the Council felt that the time was ripe for us to make a public announcement, and put the matter to a vote. The deciding vote was mine, and I didn't feel we were ready just yet. We've been trying to raise public consciousness about our place in the universe, but I haven't been satisfied that we've been able to do that well enough. It seems to me that there's still too much superstition and xenophobia in the world in general, and in the United States in particular."

"I've never been as optimistic as you that we'd rid the world of superstition and xenophobia in my lifetime," Pierre responded, and others in the conference room laughed. "But whether the world is ready for it or not, it may just be that we will have to confirm that an intelligent alien civilization may have visited us on a previous occasion. Now, we'll have to make it clear that we can estimate the time of their visit by what we found when we excavated the artifact. There will be those kooks who say that the aliens helped the Egyptians build the pyramids, or that they inspired various primitive artwork. We must be ready to say that those kooks are almost certainly wrong and that the aliens did not interact with human beings, since there were no human beings at the time of their visit. We most certainly do not want to validate every crackpot story that has been circulating about alien visitors. We also need to make it clear that there is no indication of any hostility, no evidence whatsoever of any planned invasion."

"Good points," Floyd agreed. "But they probably ought to be saved for later consideration. You're right, Mark, we will have a lot of educating of the public to do. For right now, as I see it, my best course of action is this. I will contact Mr. Andrews of the BBC. I will tell him that I am not in a position to comment on his reporting, until I see what is actually reported." Floyd turned to Groh, "Liz, I think I'll give _prudence_ as my grounds for refusal to comment at this time, rather than say I that I cannot answer on advice of counsel."

"That's fine," Groh nodded. "Claiming to rely on a lawyer's advice always looks bad."

"After we see what the BBC reports," Floyd continued, "and after we learn what evidence they actually have, we can issue a formal comment of some kind. That's how I propose to proceed. Any objections? Any recommendations?" Floyd paused. "Hearing none, that is what I will do. And if there's nothing further—?"

"There is one thing I want to mention, Dr. Floyd," Berger spoke up from the back of the room. "The BBC is promoting its report not only in the UK, but also in other markets. Many of the US networks are jumping on the bandwagon. One network is promoting the story as supposedly containing 'bombshell' revelations. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is heavily promoting the BBC story as well, as are outlets in continental Europe. It looks like the BBC is gunning for world-wide attention. And the BBC wouldn't be doing this unless they were one hundred percent confident in their reporting."

"If what you're saying, Dave, is that we ought to prepare ourselves for a world-wide upheaval," Floyd sighed, "then I think I have to agree. The report is going to shock the world. It will come out eventually that we had an opportunity to break the news to the world in our own way, but I decided not to do that, and now I have to be responsible for that decision."


	3. The Broadcast and Immediate Aftermath

3\. The Broadcast and Immediate Aftermath.

The face of Harrison Andrews gazed upon billions of viewers.

"Before we leave you, we wish to repeat something we reported earlier. We tried to get the National Council of Astronautics to comment upon this programme before it was broadcast. In particular, we reached out to Dr. Heywood Floyd, Chairman of the Council, for comment. Dr. Floyd issued the following brief statement, which I will read to you in its entirety." Andrews held up a piece of paper and read. "The statement reads, 'Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the content of your report prior to its broadcast. In view of the fact that we do not know in detail what will be reported, or the bases for such reporting, we cannot comment in advance. Although we have respect for the BBC's standards of journalism, we must recognize that your reporting may include errors, and we do not wish to appear to validate any reporting that may be erroneous. After the broadcast is complete, we will determine what comments, if any, are appropriate.' Well." Andrews lowered the paper. "We will be waiting for your comments in due course, Dr. Floyd. This is Harrison Andrews; good evening."

With that, the broadcast ended, and the network cut to a panel discussion of experts deconstructing the BBC report.

"Turn it off," Floyd ordered, and the conference room television went dark. "Okay, first thing. What did the BBC get wrong? Anything?"

The room fell silent. Eventually Pierre spoke. "I think they nailed it, Heywood. I couldn't think of a single thing that the BBC got wrong. They really did their homework; they had dates right, participants, documents. The photographs of the artifact were authentic, but I'll be damned if I know how they got them."

"They admitted that some of what they reported was speculation," someone said, but Floyd could not see who'd spoken.

"I noticed that, too," Floyd nodded. "Except they tended to call it 'inference' rather than 'speculation,' and what they reported was not only reasonable inference, it was also right. Or at least, they are inferences that we have drawn ourselves, so we wouldn't want to take issue with them."

Floyd's administrative assistant abruptly charged into the room. "Dr. Floyd, sorry to interrupt!" Again, the alarm in his voice was unmistakable.

"Yes, Jan?"

"Important telephone call for you!"

"The BBC or one of the US networks?" Floyd guessed.

"The White House," the assistant responded.

Floyd hastily excused himself and dashed to his office, shut the office door, dove into his office chair, snatched up the receiver, and pushed the button for the only flashing light. "Heywood Floyd."

"Dr. Floyd, this is Dr. Mitch Patterson, Science Adviser to the president."

"Yes, Dr. Patterson."

"Please stand by for the president. "

There was a moment of silence, then a familiar voice. "Dr. Floyd, this is your president."

"Yes, sir," Floyd responded formally.

"I assume you just saw that report by the Brits."

"Yes, sir, I did."

"Well, the news is all over _every_ goddamned network now. Mitch, are you on the line?"

Patterson's voice answered, "I'm right here, Mr. President."

"Mitch, I want you to take the point in responding to this thing. Floyd, you help him, but you and your people don't say a goddamned word to any goddamned reporters without my okay, you got that?"

"I've got it, sir," Floyd gulped.

"The news networks are all asking me whether I knew about this thing. And we all know the answer to that. Floyd, you briefed me on it just a few weeks before my inauguration, remember?"

"Yes, sir."

"You told me that the secret would never get out."

Floyd knew he'd made no such promise, but now wasn't the time to contradict the president. "I didn't think it would, sir."

"Well, goddamn it, people are already accusing me of covering up the thing! I just heard some goddamn congressmen telling a reporter that hiding information of this kind from the public is an impeachable offense, a crime against humanity. So as I see it, I gotta take the bull by the horns, here. I want Mitch to do the talking. Mitch, are you up to it?"

"Yes, Mr. President," Patterson responded. "There is no question that the information is just as important as any other top secret information the president hears. We can sell that to the people, I think."

"Okay, fine. Be sure to emphasize our carefulness in handling the matter, and that we were following in the footsteps of my predecessor. Floyd?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I think I'll be able to keep my political skin, but I'm not so sure you're going to be able to keep yours. The order for secrecy was _your_ order, wasn't it?"

Floyd swallowed. "Yes, sir, it was, and I'm ready to take responsibility for it."

"Good. Better draft a letter of resignation. Don't send it yet. But have it ready."

"Yes, sir."

"I suppose things are going to get pretty hot for you. But remember, not a goddamn word to any reporter."

"Yes, sir."

"Floyd, one more thing. Do those boys up there in _Discovery_ know about this thing?"

"Sir, we know Dr. Bowman and Dr. Poole will be watching the BBC broadcast. For them, the broadcast will have just started. Dr. Kimball, Dr. Kaminsky and Dr. Hunter know a bit more, but they are in hibernation."

"All right, we're done. Goddamn it! Did you see that the networks are reporting that some riots are starting to break out around the goddamn country? Goddamn it! Mitch, I'm gonna do what I have to do, but I'm counting on you to help calm the people down! This isn't the end of the world, for God's sake!"

"Will do, Mr. President," Patterson said. "Dr. Floyd, please stay on the line so that you and I can converse privately."

"Yes, Dr. Patterson."

"Goodbye, Mr. President," Patterson said.

"Goodbye, Mr. President," Floyd echoed.

There was silence on the line. The president had evidently already hung up.


	4. The Press Briefing

4\. The Press Briefing.

Patterson saw the White House Press Room was packed. He mused for a few moments that most of those in attendance used cameras and microphones, and that most of those who reported the news in print no longer used press-based technology. Still, the name "Press Room" was still in use in the early days of the Twenty-First Century.

As Patterson strode to the lectern, the hubbub in the room dissipated. Patterson took a folded sheet of paper from his jacket, unfolded it, and laid it on the lectern.

"Good afternoon, everyone. For those of you who don't know me, I am Dr. Mitchell Patterson and I am the Science Adviser to the President. I have a brief statement, after which I will be answering some questions, as best I am able." Patterson cleared his throat. "Earlier today, the British Broadcasting Corporation aired a news report concerning the Moon and the mission of the spaceship _Discovery_ to the planet Jupiter. Among those things reported by the BBC were: that an alien artifact was discovered on the Moon in 1999 by a team of American researchers; that the presence of the artifact was persuasive evidence that alien intelligent life had visited the Moon; that the presence of the artifact was persuasive evidence that the alien intelligent life had likely visited the Earth as well; that a powerful radio transmission in the direction of Jupiter was emitted by the artifact; and that one of the mission objectives of _Discovery_ , now on its way to Jupiter, is to determine whether there was an alien presence near Jupiter that may have received this radio transmission. The BBC further reported on the communications problems experienced by _Discovery_ , saying that those problems were placing the mission in serious jeopardy. It is my duty today to state, for the record, that the essential matters reported by the BBC... are all... _factual_."

The Press Room erupted. Patterson held up a hand and waited for the room to become quiet. When the noise died down sufficiently, he continued.

"An artifact was indeed discovered by an American survey team in 1999. It was found buried beneath the lunar surface near the crater Tycho. There is no question that the artifact is of alien origin, and that it was deliberately buried on the Moon."

Again, the noise rose. Patterson held up a hand, and said, "Please, please, ladies and gentlemen."

About a minute later, he proceeded. "It is currently hypothesized that whatever intelligent life forms left the artifact on the Moon not only visited the Moon, but also visited the Earth. If the Earth had been visited at about the same time as the Moon, then the Earth would have been visited about four million years ago. At that time, the species _homo sapiens_ did not exist. This is only speculation, but it does seem reasonable to surmise that the intelligent life forms who buried the artifact on the Moon were not interested in interacting with primitive life forms, but were interested in interacting with life forms technologically advanced enough and intelligent enough to travel from the Earth to the Moon. This may have been the reason that the artifact was placed on the Moon."

More noise. It quieted quickly.

"As was reported, there was a single, very powerful radio emission from the artifact, and the emission was aimed at Jupiter. The _Discovery_ mission, which had been planned since the 1980s, would be going to Jupiter in 2001. Following the radio transmission by the artifact, _Discovery_ 's mission objectives were modified to include, as one of the goals, to determine whether there was any life form or machine or any other thing of alien origin that may have received the transmission." Patterson paused. "That is really all that I have to say about the BBC report at this time. I can assure you, however, that there will be further briefings either by myself or by a representative of the National Council of Astronautics. Before I take questions, I just wish to say that the president is currently occupied addressing the numerous incidents of unrest that seem to have occurred in response to the BBC report. I also wish to say that the president was advised, shortly before taking office, of the incidents that I have described. These incidents were deemed top secret by the previous administration, and considering the monumental significance of the information, the president thought it prudent not to revisit his predecessor's policy without first giving extensive study to the question. I may also add that the information about the Moon and Jupiter was relayed to the president in connection with information pertaining to numerous other matters of national defense and national security, which as you all know are not matters for publication."

Patterson folded the paper. "I ask you, ladies and gentlemen, that when you ask questions, you do so with utmost courtesy, so that everyone may hear and have a chance. I'll now take questions." Patterson pointed to a reporter in the front row. "Alice, I promised you could be first, so go ahead."

The reporter stood. "Thank you, Mr. Patterson. I would like you to tell us more about the artifact, in particular, its size, what it is made of, whether the photographs shown by the BBC were authentic, and whether it is expected that it will remain on the Moon or will be brought to Earth." She sat.

Patterson whistled, drawing some laughter from the room. "Okay, Alice, let me take those questions one at a time. The photographs were, I understand, authentic. As for what the artifact is made of, we just don't know. We do know that it is made of a very black material. As you may be aware, most lunar soil is quite dark, almost black. The artifact is much blacker than the lunar soil. I spoke with one person who observed the artifact up close, and he reported that the lights directed on the artifact were very bright, yet he could not cast a shadow onto it. The artifact is, I believe, about eleven or twelve feet tall. We expect that we will make available to you information as to more precise measurements, and I understand we will also be releasing some additional photographs. As for whether the artifact will remain on the Moon, that issue is still being studied. There are those who feel strongly that it can best be studied here on Earth, but no decision has been made, nor is any decision likely to be made for many months to come."

Patterson called on another reporter, who asked, "Any idea who this advanced civilization is, where they come from, what star is their home?"

"No idea."

The same questioner followed up: "Are they from Jupiter?"

"No idea."

Someone else: "Are they hostile?"

"We have absolutely no reason to believe that. If they wanted to invade us or steal our planet's resources or wipe us out, it stands to reason they would have raided Earth when it was a lot less technologically advanced. And they didn't."

Another questioner: "How many times did they visit Earth?"

"We don't know. We know they visited the Moon, but we do not have direct physical evidence that they even visited the Earth a single time. But it seems reasonable that they did."

"Do they have anything to do with flying saucers?" asked someone else. Patterson was surprised to hear no laughter in response to what would otherwise be a patently nutty question.

"No, _very_ unlikely. Our evidence is that they had no interaction with people at all, and that they came and left more than three million years before modern humans existed."

"Were the men on _Discovery_ aware of the existence of the artifact?"

"Mission Commander Dr. David Bowman and his deputy, Dr. Frank Poole, were _not_ made aware of the artifact or the new mission objective, as it was determined they did not have a need to know. We understand that they did watch the BBC report, however, and we have since communicated with them to advise them of things of which they had been unaware. The three men in hibernation, Doctors Hunter and Kaminsky and Kimball, had some additional knowledge about the artifact and the new mission objective, but the only member of the _Discovery_ crew with full knowledge was the ship's computer, the HAL-9000."

"Has _Discovery_ made contact with these aliens? Is that why the ship is supposedly encountering 'communication problems,' to try to perpetuate the shroud of secrecy?"

" _Discovery_ has _not_ made contact with any other life forms, nor has _Discovery_ observed any alien artifacts. Dr. Bowman and Dr. Poole have been advised that contact is foreseeable, and that they may have future roles as emissaries, but they have not made contact with anything alien yet. Furthermore, I want to stress that the communication problems are _genuine_ , and that Mission Control is working very hard to resolve them. They are not, I repeat, _not_ a ruse to perpetuate secrecy."

"Why was the news about the Moon kept secret in the first place?"

Patterson took a moment. "It was decided by the National Council of Astronautics that the alien artifact needed to be studied, and that the public needs to be given time to get used to the idea that we now have proof of intelligent life off the Earth."

"What _right_ did the Council have to decide that?"

"The Council was granted jurisdiction to deal with most significant lunar matters, as pertaining to the United States. And the Council decided that the artifact ought to be kept secret for a while."

"Were any other nations told about it?"

"No."

"In 1999, there was a report of an epidemic on the Moon. That was just a hoax, wasn't it? A ruse, a part of the cover-up."

"Well," Patterson sighed. "Yes. There was no actual epidemic. We needed a reason to seal off contact until we knew what we were dealing with. I would not call that a 'cover-up,' however."

"It was reported in early 2000 that the artifact was a spaceship. Is that report true?"

"As far as we can determine, no. As I recall, the spaceship story was a publicity stunt, not an actual journalistic report. In any event, the artifact offers no indication of being any sort of mechanism of conveyance."

"Do you have any comment on the incidents of violence and unrest that seem to have broken out world-wide in response to the BBC report?"

"No, I have no comment. My field is science, not breaches of the peace."

"How do we know the artifact sent a message to Jupiter and not someplace else?"

"The transmission was detected by lunar satellites and deep space probes, I understand. I'll have to get someone more knowledgeable than myself to explain this. I can say that we do not know to a certainty that the target of the transmission was Jupiter; we can only say that transmission was directed so close to the position of Jupiter that we did not see how it could be a coincidence. If the transmission were directed to the nearest star along the same course, it would take the transmission nearly fifteen hundred years to reach that star, traveling at the speed of light. The transmission would have reached Jupiter in about forty-five minutes."

"What did the transmitted message say?"

"We don't know. It appeared to be nothing more than a set of unmodulated tones."

"So when our people dug it up, we set off an alarm, then?"

"That is one possibility, but there are _many_ other possibilities as well."

"There were previous reports that an alien artifact had been discovered on the Moon, but these reports were denied. If they were true, why were they denied? Why wait until now to come clean?"

"I cannot really speak to the denials made by the Council, except to say that many of these reports were denied because they included or were based upon false information. The BBC report was a different animal. Standards of journalistic integrity make a difference."

"The BBC said it had sources that worked for Mission Control. Can you confirm that?"

"No. I don't know who their sources are."

"Do you plan to punish those sources for finally enabling the truth to be told to the people?"

"I have no answer to that. Now please excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, I have gone beyond my allotted time limit." Patterson hurriedly left the room, with some additional shouted questions in his wake.

Patterson loosened his necktie as he entered his office, and ordered his assistant to get Dr. Heywood Floyd on the telephone.

About a minute later, Patterson asked Floyd, "Did you see the press conference?"

"Yes, I did. I thought you did well."

"Thanks. I sure appreciated your assistance in preparing. I noticed that you correctly predicted almost every question that they asked!"


	5. The Heat

5\. The Heat.

Floyd was getting tired of saying "No comment." Despite his efforts to restrict access by reporters, the questions kept coming at him— by telephone, by electronic message, by intermediary, by shouts from the parking lot— and his answers were always the same. "No comment."

In his news conference, Patterson had not mentioned Floyd's name, but news organizations reported that the effort to hush up information about the alien artifact and the changes to _Discovery_ 's mission were entirely Floyd's doing. Heat was coming his way.

Some additional heat was directed to the White House.

The day after the news broke, Patterson called Floyd and said that the president had changed his mind. The president now authorized Floyd to explain to the reporters about the reasons for confidentiality, Patterson said.

The president wanted Floyd to be brief, Patterson said.

The president wanted Floyd to live up to his pledge to take responsibility for his actions, Patterson said.

The president wanted Floyd to take all the heat for keeping things secret, Patterson said.

The president wanted Floyd to tender his resignation, which the president would accept, Patterson said.

Floyd sent his resignation letter electronically to the attention of the president. He then contacted Berger, who arranged a news conference in the largest auditorium on campus.

"Earlier today," Floyd addressed the assembled reporters, "I tendered my resignation as chairman and as a member of the National Council of Astronautics to the President of the United States, who accepted it. The president has authorized me to give a brief statement. I will not be taking any questions."

Floyd took a deep breath.

"When the extraterrestrial artifact was discovered buried on the Moon about two years ago, it was my strong recommendation that information about the find be kept secret. I was not the only one who recommended secrecy; the late Dr. Howell and Prof. Chu also felt very strongly about the issue. On the basis of our recommendations, the Council approved secrecy, but I was the one who advocated most strongly for it. I even made a special personal visit to the Moon to impress upon all of the people there with knowledge that their find was of the most monumental and historical importance, and further to impress upon them the need for absolute secrecy. Many of these people were scientists, who were opposed as a matter of general principle to keeping discoveries secret; but they all followed my directive, and information about the artifact was contained. Any blame that may be due for misguided application of confidentiality rests with me. I repeat for emphasis: if blame is to be assigned, then I am to blame. I was moved by two principal considerations. One was that we needed to keep things confidential until we knew what we were dealing with. Second, information concerning civilizations beyond those on Earth could be, I felt, the most potentially damaging information to our civilizations and to our species. The information could not simply be sprung upon the public. Doing so, I felt, would be highly disruptive and could result in cultural shock and social disorientation. Perhaps I was wrong to think as I did, but at least you now know why I made the decisions I did."

Floyd took another deep breath.

"The Council had always expected a time would come when the information about the alien artifact would be made public. A few months ago, the Council considered releasing the information. A vote was taken. As chairman, I cast the deciding vote, and I voted that the information would remain secret. The decision to retain secrecy therefore falls upon my shoulders. I realize that there are many who sincerely believe that my reasons for secrecy were wrong, and that the information I possessed was for all of humanity, and not mine to hide. I can only say that I believed then, and I believe now, that I made the best decision on the basis of the evidence available to me. Thank you."

Floyd abruptly turned and left, ignoring the questions shouted at him.

He went to his office to clear out his desk. A security guard named Jimmy assisted him. Floyd held a large office, and there was a lot of material to be moved out. After three hours of packing boxes, Jimmy called for some extra boxes to be brought.

Floyd was not packing boxes continuously. Many people came to Floyd's office to shake his hand and wish him well. A few gave him telephone numbers of universities and research facilities that they said would be delighted to take him on.

Rachel Steeg poked her head into Floyd's office while he was removing some pictures from the wall. "Heywood, could you come with me?"

"Come with you, where?"

"Video room. Dave Bowman and Frank Poole are going to answer questions from the BBC. I heard the questions they were asked; they were asked about you."

"The video room; is that okay, Jimmy?" Floyd asked the guard.

"Sure thing, Doc, as long as I'm with you."

In the video room, Dave and Frank were shown answering questions from a BBC reporter named Martin Amer. Floyd knew that Amer had asked his questions more than an hour and a half ago, and that the answers from _Discovery_ had arrived on Earth only recently.

Most of Amer's questions seemed to be lightweights. Bowman and Poole handled them easily. When Amer asked two questions of HAL, however, HAL responded to each question that he had no comment. Floyd thought this was out of character for HAL, and wondered what HAL was thinking.

Then Amer's voice asked, "Dr. Bowman, did you see the statement given to the press by Dr. Heywood Floyd concerning the secrecy surrounding the Moon and _Discovery_ , and if so, do you have any comment as to that statement?"

It seemed to Floyd that Bowman's expression was grim.

"Well, I've known Dr. Floyd for some years," Bowman began soberly. "In my judgment, he is not a man who speaks to deceive or to mislead. He is not a man who takes action on a feeling or a whim. I take him at his word that he believed that strict secrecy was vitally important, and that the news about contact with other civilizations could be extremely disruptive, if not properly handled. I do not mean to suggest, Mr. Amer, that the BBC handled its story improperly or was in any way at fault; but the news reports we've been getting from Earth tell us of a number of unfortunate events that have recently occurred on our home world, apparently in reaction to your story. These news reports indicate to me that Dr. Floyd's concerns were quite valid. Now, I am not the one who should say whether what Dr. Floyd did was right or wrong. I am content to let history judge him. But I unabashedly reject any suggestion that Dr. Floyd tried to keep matters secret out of a misguided or sinister motivation, as some people have suggested."

Poole piped up, "Hear, hear!"

Floyd found himself so emotionally moved that he could not hear the end of the interview.

When the interview with Bowman and Poole concluded, Floyd turned to Steeg. "Rachel, is there any chance Mission Control will let me send one last message to the boys?"

"I doubt it, Heywood," Steeg said with sympathy. "But if you have a message you'd like to have _me_ send to them, I can see that they'll get it."

"Tell them, 'Thanks for your kind words, they meant a lot.'"

"Will do."

"Oh, and Rachel, there's one thing you may want to look into. Did you notice that HAL refused to comment on the questions put to him?"

"Yes, I did. What's with that, do you think? Do you think HAL knows that the problems are worse than was reported?"

Floyd rubbed his chin. "I don't know. HAL was asked about things that, until recently, were top secret. Has anybody made HAL aware that his directive concerning confidentiality is no longer operative, or at the least, has been modified?"

"I'm sure he knows that the old rules of confidentiality are no longer applicable."

"Does he? Why then did he refuse to comment on the questions he was asked? There's something else, too. HAL is programmed to play a recorded message for the entire crew when they are ready to know the full purpose of the mission. I recorded that message myself shortly before _Discovery_ left Earth orbit. But in their interview, Dave Bowman and Frank Poole didn't mention it, and didn't seem to know anything about it. That may mean that HAL thinks that some rules of secrecy are still in force."

"Or it may mean that HAL is saving the message for when the entire crew is revived?"

"That may be." Floyd lowered his voice. "Rachel, HAL was operating under secrecy orders that were _my_ orders. I'm no longer head of the Council anymore, so I don't have the authority to rescind those orders, and I can only _suggest_ this: Have the acting chairman of the Council speak to HAL. Make sure that HAL _knows_ that he doesn't have to keep secrets anymore from Dave Bowman and Frank Poole, or any other member of the crew. Make sure HAL understands that circumstances may require the Mission Commander to make some adjustments to mission objectives, and HAL has to be ready to roll with the punches and be less rigid in his thinking."

Floyd swallowed. "The orders I issued to HAL about secrecy were of very high priority, and it's not as though HAL could decide on his own to forget them or disregard them. Those guys up there already have enough problems, and I don't want my orders to get in the way of HAL working with and sharing information with the crew."


	6. A Call for Help

6\. A Call for Help.

Floyd thought the heat would abate after he resigned, but it did not. The weeks that followed were harrowing.

Floyd received several anonymous death threats.

Someone tried to set fire to his house.

Numerous voices on television continued to declare that Floyd's secrecy orders amounted to criminal activity, and that he ought to be arrested and prosecuted. The FBI and the Justice Department disagreed, and nothing came of it, but the accusations of criminal responsibility on Floyd's part did not stop.

A class action lawsuit, ostensibly brought on behalf of uncounted families, accused Floyd of wrongfully handling information in such a way that he should be culpable for the rioting and deaths and injuries and property damage that followed the BBC report. Floyd's lawyer convinced the district court not to certify the class, which effectively ended the suit.

More troubling was a network television report in which Floyd's 1999 trip to the Moon was described in detail. In the interest of getting to the Moon quickly, Floyd had traveled to the Moon by way of commercial transport. On the Orion shuttle to the orbiting space station, Floyd was the only passenger. On the Aries 1B shuttle from the space station to Clavius Base on the Moon, Floyd was the only passenger (though some company personnel were on the Clavius shuttle "deadheading" back to the Moon). On the return trip to Earth, Floyd again flew nearly alone. Floyd had estimated the cost of the trip to be about a million dollars, but the network reporter computed things differently. Taking into consideration the costs of flying near-empty craft round-trip, flight clearances, security, insurance, overtime, business interruption, loss of travel windows, and compensible passenger inconvenience, Floyd's little visit to the Moon cost closer to three hundred million dollars, the report said. Floyd knew that the Council's financing and risk-management structure meant that the most of those costs would _not_ be paid by the friendly neighborhood taxpayer, but this seemingly significant fact was not reported. The network report sparked outrage and a renewed wave of threats against his life.

Floyd's connections had enabled him to quickly secure a university position, but concerns about his personal safety meant he could not go to work. He remained a prisoner in his own home. Floyd hired security personnel out of his own pocket to protect his wife and his daughter, while they stayed with relatives at an undisclosed location. He hired another security team to protect himself and his property.

He hoped things would lighten up soon.

Fifteen days after Floyd's resignation, Rachel Steeg called.

"Heywood, we have some news about _Discovery_. Bad news. We'll be telling the world about it tomorrow, but I want to give you the story first."

"I'm just an ordinary citizen now," Floyd reminded her.

Steeg turned on the sarcasm: "Yes, I know, you're just an ordinary citizen who knows every detail about the mission inside and out, and who still has his security clearance, just like every other ordinary citizen." Dropping the sarcasm, she added, "Circumstances are such that we have to get everyone who might be able to help involved. And that includes you. We need your help."

Floyd dreaded to ask, "Rachel, what happened?"

"We've lost all contact with _Discovery,_ for reasons unknown."

"When?"

"Eight hours ago. Poole and Hunter were on an EVA to try to attach corrective apparatus to the antenna array to restore fine motor control."

"Yeah, I'd heard that Charlie Hunter got revived. Good decision, Rachel."

"Yeah. Communication from _Discovery_ was spotty, but we knew Frank and Charlie were going to make the repair. We also knew we were going to lose all contact with _Discovery_ during this repair. This procedure should have taken five hours, tops, and simulations indicated it could be done in under two hours. But we haven't heard a peep from _Discovery_ since. Not even on the lower channels."

"Oh, man."

"Yeah. The assumption is that they _didn't_ successfully repair the antenna complex, and that they may have made the problems worse. Possibly irreparable. We need ideas as to how to restore communication. We want everybody who might be able to contribute to chip in."

Floyd took a moment. "I'd like you to count me in, Rachel, but I don't know if that's a good idea. For one thing, I don't have any ideas, or at least, I'm sure someone else has already tossed out for consideration any ideas that I might have. And for another thing, a lot of people think of me as the 'King of Cover-Ups,' and so if you were to bring me on board, you'd have to deal with those who say that you're bringing me on board to hide some sort of secret mission that _Discovery_ is up to."

"We're already dealing with loudmouths saying that. We don't care about them. We need all good minds focusing here, Heywood. We need people who understand what resources those guys up there have, and what they don't have."

"I... I can't come to your offices. Some of these loudmouths are threatening my life, and they may be _armed_ loudmouths. I have to hole up here until things quiet down."

"You have a telephone and a computer, don't you? Well, then, you can contribute remotely. Heywood, let me tell you some of the ideas that have been proposed. The first is a communications vessel to be launched to Jupiter to rendezvous with _Discovery_."

"I can think of ten serious problems with that idea right off the bat."

"So can everyone else, and some of those problems are, as a practical matter, insurmountable. But the point is: we're considering _everything_."

"We have at least one orbiter around Jupiter now, don't we? Could we use it as a communications relay, to talk to _Discovery_ on the ship's short-range communication system?"

"That idea is being looked at, as well. There doesn't seem to be any way to turn that orbiter into a relay, but we're not giving up on that idea. It's also been suggested that _Discovery_ deploy its _Marius_ orbiter and use _Marius_ as a communication relay. Now _that_ is a really good idea, because _Marius_ is capable of communicating _both_ with _Discovery_ and Earth; and the idea seems to be feasible. But the problem there, obviously, is that we have no way to tell the boys how to do that. They'd have to figure it out on their own."

"Maybe they _can_ figure it out," Floyd said. "Charlie knows a lot about _Marius_ , Victor does, too. And HAL knows the most of all. HAL should be able to help them. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Steeg worried.

"Unless HAL balks. Use of the _Marius_ probe as an orbiter is an important mission objective, and a great deal of its functionality is top secret. Rachel, did you send a message to _Discovery_ to officially tell HAL about his new obligations with regard to mission objectives and confidentiality of secret information?"

There was silence for a few seconds.

"No, Heywood, I didn't. I proposed it, but the acting Mission Director and the acting head of the Council overruled me, both saying that _Discovery_ had other priorities, things more important than overhauling HAL's security parameters."

Floyd cleared his throat. "I may be wrong, but it is possible that HAL might be resistant to _Marius_ being re-purposed. I hope I am wrong."


	7. Contact Reestablished

7\. Contact Reestablished.

Three plans for reestablishing communication with Discovery were eventually approved, and all three were put into motion simultaneously. Two of the proposals involved enhanced radio transmissions from the Earth and the Moon, such that the transmissions could be received by one of _Discovery_ 's smaller transceivers. The third plan involved use of powerful lasers to transmit messages optically.

 _Discovery_ could be told that there were several possible ways to respond. _Discovery_ could try responding by modulating the reflection of the received signals, or by bouncing signals from its misdirected antennas off Jupiter's moons, or perhaps by using directional interference from multiple transmitters to direct a message to Earth.

Each of these methods would be cumbersome, but they would be a start.

Before any of the methods could be put into practice, however, a strange signal was received by an observation post in Hawai'i. The signal had the same right ascension and declination as _Discovery_ , and the signal was readily identified as coming from the _Marius_ probe.

The signal included a message.

There was no video. There were no images. There was no voice communication. There was only text. It was a message from David Bowman.

Steeg made sure that Floyd had access to the message from Bowman. Floyd found the message painful to read.

"This is David Bowman," Bowman wrote. "Please acknowledge this message by transmission to Marius. I regret to inform you that I am the last surviving crew member of Discovery. Malfunction of the HAL-9000 unit has led to the confirmed deaths of astronauts Poole, Hunter, Kaminsky and Kimball. The men have been buried in space. I have deactivated the higher brain functions of the HAL-9000. Automatic functions and life support are maintained. Discovery control is on manual. I estimate I have about four months before Discovery will have to perform any maneuvers. Communication with Earth is by relay through the Marius space probe. I wish to say for the record that I see no prospects for me returning to Earth, and I have come to terms with that reality. Please do not attempt a rescue mission for me. I will continue this mission for as long as I am able, to the best of my ability."

There followed a brief explanation of how the attempt to repair the main antenna array had resulted in the array becoming inoperable. Bowman reported that the antenna post had become lodged in an unusable position before new sensors could be deployed, that the post could no longer be rotated in any direction, and that an effort to dislodge the post with a push had been unsuccessful.

Bowman further reported how HAL had purported to assume command, how Hunter had convinced HAL to relinquish command, how HAL had taken the lives of Bowman's human shipmates, and how HAL attempted to take Bowman's life as well. Bowman reported that Hunter had reconfigured the _Marius_ probe to serve as a relay prior to HAL's malfunction, and that Hunter's work had made communication by way of the probe possible.

Bowman briefly recounted how he had deactivated HAL's higher intellectual functions, and he mentioned that one effect of his actions was to trigger playback of a pre-recorded message by Heywood Floyd, in which a secret purpose of the mission was revealed.

Floyd's heart was heavy. He considered having a drink. He decided that he'd better call Rachel Steeg first.

"Hello, Heywood." There was evident sadness in Steeg's voice.

"Thank you for letting me see Dave Bowman's messages, Rachel."

"You're welcome. They are without a doubt the most discouraging words I've ever read. Mission Control is asking Dave to change his focus from what happened in the past to what can be done now and in the future, to focus on the mission ahead and get ready for Jupiter. We've notified the news folks that further messages from David Bowman as to what occurred in the past will have to wait until a later time. Right now, the biggest concern is how we can complete the mission under ground control."

"Good. That's why I want to talk to you. I have an idea for restoring communication to _Discovery_."

"Okay, Heywood, I'm listening."

"Have Dave follow through with the original plan. Have him mount the exterior sensors and reorient the main antenna array. Mission Control can help him tune the system so that the AE-35 unit can keep the array directed at Earth. Then you ought to have improved, if not near-total, communication capability reestablished, and ground control of the mission ought to be far more practical."

"That won't work, Heywood. Dave reported that the antenna post has become immobile, and it cannot rotate in either direction. The damned thing is stuck in the eleven o-clock position, or thereabouts, Dave said. It is unusable."

"Yes, that's what Dave said. And I'll bet he's wrong."

There were about five seconds of silence. "And you base this conclusion on what, exactly?"

"I base it on the fact that Dave didn't try to rotate the antenna array. HAL did. I base it on the fact that Dave doesn't know whether the antenna array is really stuck. He only knows what HAL told him."

It took Steeg a few seconds to catch on. "You think HAL was _lying_? You think that the array _can_ move, but that HAL simply refused to move it and falsely reported that it couldn't be moved?"

"That would be worth checking, wouldn't it? Just have Dave try a manual override command to rotate the array, and see what happens. If the array moves, have him proceed to mount the sensors externally, as planned."

"Heywood, this idea might get ridiculed, but I'm going to propose it anyway."

"If we're lucky, we should know in less than three hours whether I'm right, that HAL lied. If people give you a hard time, and ask you why HAL would have lied, or why you have any reason to think he would have lied, remind them... that HAL resorted to murder. Before that, he resorted to mutiny. So maybe it's possible that before that, he resorted to sabotage and lying."

"Yeah. Yeah. I'll make that pitch. But Heywood, I'll leave out the part that HAL may have resorted to those acts in order to implement the confidentiality orders that _you_ gave him."

"I'd appreciate that," Floyd grunted. "Leave that part out. If I were you, I guess I'd start out by just telling Mission Control, 'You might as well give it a try.'"

Steeg said she would get back to Floyd later, and hung up. Floyd thought again about having a drink, but decided against it. Instead, he brooded.

Exactly three hours after she hung up, Steeg called Floyd.

Her voice trembled. "Heywood, you're a hero."

"Come again?"

"Dave Bowman tried to manually rotate his antenna array and found out to his utter astonishment that he _could_ rotate it. You were right, HAL _was_ lying. HAL _was_ trying to interfere with communications. So Dave and Mission Control are making plans to do an EVA to install new sensors. After that, it is believed that sufficient communications functionality can be restored, so that the mission can be completed successfully."


	8. Good-Bye

8\. Good-Bye.

In the weeks that followed, most communication capability with _Discovery_ was restored. Physical instability of the communication apparatus was still a concern, but the concern turned out to be manageable. Bowman was given directions to apply braces to help stabilize the physical antenna mount to some degree and, just as important, to prevent further deformation of the antenna support structures. Some sturdy support beams, a couple of hydraulic and mechanical jacks, a few high tension straps, and application of some good old-fashioned duct tape, and the mount was as stable as it could get. It was hardly a permanent fix, and it certainly was not pretty, but Bowman hoped it would prove to be good enough to allow the mission to continue under ground control.

Bowman took his time on an EVA and installed the new sensors on the antenna array. He followed Mission Control's directions for getting the antenna system to respond to the new sensors. He notified Mission Control, via _Marius_ , that he was ready to bring the main dish back on line. Using manual override, he pointed the main antenna at Earth as slowly and as accurately as he could, and engaged the automatic directional control system. After a few seconds, the AE-35 took over and gently pointed the main dish squarely at Earth.

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony erupted from the speakers aboard _Discovery_ : " _Freude!_ _Freude! Freude, schöner Götterfunken Tochter aus Elysium!_ "

Mission Control had said it would be sending _Discovery_ continuous information so that Bowman could know whether he'd reacquired Earth and how good his signal quality was; but he hadn't been told that the signal would be music. Bowman listened to the music from home with immense relief. After listening to the conclusion of Beethoven's Ninth and the short introduction to _Also sprach Zarathustra_ by Richard Strauss that followed, Bowman sent a message of his own to Earth.

"Mission Control, this is X-Ray Delta One. Roger your Beethoven's Ninth, signal is five-by-five."

There was some tuning of the system to be done, but Mission Control did it remotely with no problems. In addition, Mission Control specialists found that ringing vacillation in the control systems could be dampened electronically.

The public was informed about what had happened to _Discovery_. There was world-wide mourning for the loss of four of the five interplanetary travelers. Outrage over secrecy and cover-ups quieted as public interest turned to the question of what _Discovery_ would find as she came to the zenith of her mission.

Dr. Heywood Floyd was publicly given credit for making the key recommendations that saved what had been thought to be a hopeless situation.

Floyd was quietly offered a chance to return to his former position with the Council, but he declined. He told the Council that he had accepted that his days with the Council were over. But he asked the Council for a favor, and the Council unanimously voted to grant his request.

Floyd sat in the Mission Communicator's chair, where the Voice of Mission Control was usually stationed. Floyd laid out some notes on the desk, and checked his appearance on the video monitor.

"You may begin anytime, Dr. Floyd," the Voice of Mission Control kindly prompted, standing off to Floyd's side.

Floyd looked at the camera, and spoke. "X-Ray Delta One, this is Mission Control. Roger your one-four-zero-zero. Heywood Floyd, _former_ Chairman of the National Council of Astronautics, speaking. Dave, I have been afforded this opportunity to speak to you. First: my condolences to you on the loss of your shipmates."

Floyd paused, checked his notes, and continued: "Dave, you are now just days away from Jupiter. Your odyssey has been a long and difficult one. You have had to face problems unlike any others in the history of mankind, and I know that some of the most difficult challenges may lay ahead. I wanted to tell you that I can think of no one more capable than you to meet these challenges. History is going to be made, and I am proud that you will be the person making it."

Floyd broke into a wide smile. "Not that I want to put any pressure on you, Dave. On the contrary. I know you'll maintain an even strain, like you always have."

Floyd took a second or two. His smile melted away. "Dave, I was one of those who selected you for this mission. This was never intended to be a one-way trip, you know that. The plan was that _Discovery_ would take you to Jupiter, and _Discovery 2_ would take you home. By now you know that construction of _Discovery 2_ has been put on hold, and _Discovery 2_ will not be coming to bring you home. I feel I must tell you, Dave, that I agree with this decision. This is _not_ a matter of economics, this is _not_ a case where any reasonable person can say you are unworthy of rescuing. No, the real reasons are more pragmatic. Your mission has suffered a number of, let's say, catastrophes, and we have to admit that we are lucky to have made it this far. We cannot let _Discovery 2_ follow in the footsteps of _Discovery_ and expect all to be well."

Floyd paused. "I'm sure you understand."

Floyd felt himself getting choked up, but he pressed on: "Dave, it has been the greatest honor of my life to have known you. I mean that. It breaks my heart to think that I will not, in all likelihood, ever be able to shake your hand and congratulate you face-to-face for a job well done. So let me take this opportunity, here and now, to say thank you, Dave, for all that you have done, and to congratulate you in advance on what I am certain will be a job well done. X-Ray Delta One, this is Mission Control. One-five-five-zero. Good-bye and farewell, Dave. Transmission concluded."

THE END


End file.
